hotline

noun

hot·​line ˈhät-ˌlīn 

variants or less commonly hot line

plural hotlines also hot lines

1

: a usually toll-free telephone service available to the public or to a group of people for some specific purpose

a suicide prevention hotline

His take reached a total of more than $10,000, but the scam was undone when an alert co-worker noticed it and phoned an employee-theft hotline to report it.

—David J. Solomon

2

: a direct telephone line in constant operational readiness so as to facilitate immediate communication

John Sullivan told the independent news outlet Novaya Gazeta that an emergency hotline between Washington and Moscow, set up in the Cold War … , was still in existence.

—Reuters.com

When the Milwaukee Bucks made the emotional decision not to take the court for Game 5 of the playoffs, there was a hotline between the locker room and the NBPA [National Basketball Players Association], with [NBPA head Michele] Roberts counselling the players on the other end of that line.

—Don Riddell

Examples of hotline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. —Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024

In Oakland County, Common Ground operates a 24-hour hotline at 800-231-1127, and can connect people throughout southeast Michigan to resources. —Steve Pepple, Detroit Free Press, 20 Oct. 2024

To be reward-eligible (up to $1,000), tips must be submitted through the CrimeStoppers hotline at 78-CRIME. —River Valley Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 17 Oct. 2024

There is a hotline that poll workers can call to report issues and get guidance from county officials. —Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

hotline

noun

hot·​line ˈhät-ˌlīn 

: a telephone line for direct emergency use (as between heads of governments or to a counseling service)

Medical Definition

hotline

noun

hot·​line

variants also hot line

ˈhät-ˌlīn 

: a usually toll-free telephone service available to the public for some specific purpose (as to receive advice or information about a particular subject or to talk confidentially about personal problems to a sympathetic listener)

a poison control hotline

suicide prevention hotlines